Furnace



A To au whom# mag/ Gamefa- ,ECKLEYB1 coXnQorYDRIFTON,PENNSYLVANIA;

SPECIFIQCATION ferming part' or` Letters ratent No.7517,e44, date'Aprn 3,1894. f Applicant md Pantry 20,1894.` seriairmaa (No'mdel') Y' p Be itknown that vI, E KLEY Bf UOXE, a citizen of l'the United States, residing at Drifton, in the county of Luzernevand "State of i Pennsylvania,hav`e invented certain new and useful'lmproveinentsjinffFurnaces, of which the .following is a specification. Q -This invention relates'to furnaces, and esxo inUnited States `Letters 'Patent No. 499,716, dated June 20,189.3, in which a ltraveling grate is employed,`a ndin'which the fuel upon the grate istreated tosuccessiveair-blasts of varying pressures, 'at successive points in the I5 travel'thereof. A

Thechief object of my present invention is to provide an air-seal device in connection with the traveling furnace-grate for blocking the passage'of air` and preventing its escape 2o through the furnace-chamber except at the desired pointsV along theiipper run of the -grate. l j A j In the drawings ,accompanying and forming a part of thisA speciication, Figure lis a z 5 sectional side elevation of a portion of a furnace furnished with my improvements, in one form thereof. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sec-` tional view of the furnace, taken in dotted lines amat, Figi, 1, showingthe parts'at' the l 3o right-'hand of said line. Fig'. 3 is a sectional side elevation, similar to that shownin Fig.

1, with my improvements, in amodified form thereof, applied thereto. Y

Similar characters designatey like parts in 3 5 all the figures.

The furnace in connection with which my presentfimprovements are shown, is or may be,j as to the general, construction and arrangement thereof, substantially the same as 4o the one described in my aforesaid Letters Patent No. 499,716, but it Will be understood that my improvements are applicablevto other' furnacesthan the one shown in said patent.

The furnace herein shown has the usual furnace-chamber C and grate-mechanism chamber Cfnclosed in the usual manner by the Side-Walls 2 and 4, and end-walls 3 and 5; the roof of the furnace-chamber not being herein shown.

The grate-mechanism 5o is placed below the furnace-chamber, the grate-bars forming al floor therefor. The rearward'end of the up-v per run `of said furnace-Hoor extends underneath and in close proximity to thelower face` f of the bridge-wall 7, and the forward -end of the` upper runof said furnace-floorilies underneath andinclose proximity to; the top wall 3 at the front end of the furnace, sufy i y cient space being left between the're'ar end pecially to the class of furnacesdescribed of thefurn'aceliloor and 'thebrdge-wallto fpermit the passage of the layer of ashes during the travel of the grate, all of which rganizationlis substantially the sam'e'as the organization ofv like parts in nthe xpatent referred to.

The'grate-mechanism herein shown consists of an endless `traveling grate, designated in a 'generalway by G, wheels andshaftsffor carrying said grate, and means for actuating said shafts. The endless grate is shown supported on chain-wheels, 12 and 14, xed on the shafts 13 and 15, respectively, these shafts being supported in any suitablefbearings carried by the'framework ofthe furnace-struct` ure.y As a means for actuating theygratemechanism, the shaft 15 is shown (in dotted lines, Figs. 1 and 3) as provided on its projecting outer end with a worm-wheel, 40,

which meshes with a worm, 41, which is fixed on a shaft, 42, supported in bearings 43 and 45, and operated by means of the driving-y pulley 44; Thisl traveling grate is or lmay be of the same constructionA as the furnacegrate described in my aforesaid Letters Patent. Itis shown as consisting of a number of sections or grate-bars, 9, pivotally connected together into an endless chain, or chain-grate, which is carried by the aforesaidforward and rearward chain-wheels 12 and 14, respectively, said chain-grate being supported at eachside thereof by tracks, 16 and 17, one of which is located below the upper run, 10, of said grate, andthe other of which is located below the lower run, 11, of said grate.

For supplying air to the -fuel upon, the upper run, 10, of the grate at varying pressures at different points in the travel of said fuel, t

as, for instance, a blower or air-pumplocated outside the furnace. In practice, said connectingpipes, a', ZJ', c', ci', are provided with regulating-valves,a", b, c, c, after the manner described in the aforesaid Letters Patent, for the purpose of controlling the combustion according to the process described in Letters Patent No. 499,715, dated .Tune 20, 1893. These air-chambers are open at their upper ends, as shown at 20, through which openings airis supplied to the fuel on the grate. A hopper, Il, is provided-at the forward end of the furnace, by means of which fuel is supplied to the traveling furnace-floor. These features, however, are not comprised in the subject-matter of my present invention, but are shown only for more fully illustrating the utility and inode of operation of my present improvements.

Infurnaces of the class herein described, it is very desirable that the entire voln me of air supplied under pressure should pass through theupper run of the grate to the under side ofthe fuel thereon, and to obviate as much as possible the waste of air by leakage around the outside of the layer of fuel contained on the grate.

In practice, in furnaces of this class, some leakage of air takes place at each end of the air-supply apparatus, but the major portion of this leakage occurs at the forward end of theapparatus, (shownat the right hand in Fi'gs."l"and`3`,) the air passing ont between the under side of the grate and the flange C of theair-chamber a into the forward portion, C?, of the grate-mechanism chamber. Some leakage of `air also occurs through the mass of'lfuel on the chain -grate at the extreme forward end of the furnace-chamber, it passing forwardly and downwardly through the chaingrate"`into said forward portion, C2, of the grate-mechanism chamber. Also, there is a slight leakage of air from the lower-pressure airichamber, d, through the space between the grate and the flange 6 of said air-chamber, `into the rearward portion, C3, of said grate-mechanism chamber. But the forward leakage described is found to be,in practice, muchthe greatest, owing, presnmably,`to the high pressure used in the forward air-cham bers ot and l) and the very 1n uch less air-pressure used in the rearward air-chamber d.' If, therefore, no cut-off be provided between the forward and rearward portions, C2 and C3, of the gratemcchanism chamber, the high-pressureleakagefrom the forward end of the airsupply apparatus would pass downward and thence rearwardly and upwardly to the space, 17', between the bridge-wall, 7, of the furnace and the rearward portion of the upper run,"l0,` of the traveling grate, and from thence would pass upward through the extreme rearwardend of the f uruace-chamber into the flue, and thus be wasted. To obviate this leakage and consequent waste of air, and to more fully insure the utilization of the entire air-blast for effecting the best possible results in the combustion of thelfucl, is, as before stated, the principal object of Vmy present invention. As a means for accomplishing this result, I have provided a cut-olf device, or air-seal, designated in a general way by S and S', which practically divides or cuts olf the forward portion, C2, of the inclosed grate- Inechanism chamber from the rearward por tion, C, of said chamber. This cut-off device, or air-seal, in the preferred form thereofshown in Figs. l and 2, consists of the upper and lower bearing-plates 50 and 5l, respectively.

In practice, these plates are of a width equal, or approximately so, to the width of the endless chain-grate, and of a length suiiicient to cover two or more of the sections of said grate. In the form thereof shown" in Figs. l and 2, the upper bearing-plate 5l), which will, in the preferred form thereof, beef resilientor dexible metal, is bent upward at the rear end thereof, as shown atO', and is secu red this end to the lower edge ot' the airsupplyapparatus, and the middle portion, 50,"of said plate bears upon the upper face of the lower run 1l of the frate and cuts olf communi- 7 9 b cation between the forward end, C2, and rearward end, C3, of the mechanism -"chamber above the line of the lower runof the grate. The. lower bearing-plate 5l is also preferably bent downward, as shown at 5l', at its rear end, and is secured to the upper end of a transverse dividing-wall or plate, 52. The middle portion, 5l, of this plate 5l is held upward in contact with the lower face of the lower run of the grate bya suitable device, such as a weighted lever, 54, as herein shown. This plate 5l bears upon the under side of the lower run of the grate'opposite to the bearing-point 50" of the upper plate 50, and,

inconnection with the transverse wall or plate 52, cuts olf comlnunication between the front and rear portions C2 and C, respectively, of the mechanism-chamber below the line of the lower1 run of the grate. This organization of mechanism, as will be understood by reference to the drawings, cuts off communication between the two portions()2 and C) of the mechanism-chamber both above and below the lowerrun of the grate; and'in consequence thereof, any air that may escape from the forward end of the air supply apparatus will be retained in the forward end, C2, of the mechanism-chamber until the pressure thereof is sufcient to force the `same upward through the upper run of the gratefbars." If desired, the upper plate may be hinged at its rear end to the lower edge of the air-supply apparatus, as shown at 55 in Fig. 3, and the lower plate may be hinged to the transverse wall or plate 52 and be provided with aweightedlever, 56, to retain the middle portion, 5l,`th`ereof in contact with the lower face of the lower run ofthe grate. F

I do not desire to limit myself to the exact construction of bearing-plate shown" in the drawings, nor to the exact form of mechanism herein shown for retaining said plates in c011- ICO tact `wi'thftheupper-'and lower facesof 'the' Y i The'upper plate 50 and the lower' runof the grate,a`s`the ir construct-ion.

may be changed in various wayswithout-departing-frommy invention.

v v air-supplyapparat'us tol which it is connected, andithe flower plate 51 and theltransverse 'Wall 52to which itis connected,constitute, practically,

` 'two' division-walls, the upper 'fone of which divides the-grate-lnechanism chamber Cinto e twocompart'ments'above thelower run of the grate, and the lowerone of which divides said mechanism-chamber C int'of` two comparti ments below the lower run'of thegrate, these o2 amici,

two division-walls cutting off communication between the forwardand rearward portions,

respectively, of the mechanismchamber C. p y I `1.Inv afurnace', the combination with the *i endless traveling grate and the chamber in `which it is 1ocated,of a transverse division- Wall .located intermediate to the ends of said grate and having a iexible .resilient portion in bearing-contact with the lower run of said grate, substantially asdeScribed and for the' purpose set forth.

2. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with an endless traveling grate and with the chamber inclosing saidgrate, of

atransverse partition located intermediate to the upper and -lower runs of the grate, and having a iiexible or resilient portion in bearing-contact with the lower run of said grate, and a transverse partition located below the lower run of said grate and bearing against the lower face of. said run, which partitions divide the grate-inclosing chamber into two compartments, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth. i

3. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with the traveling grate, and

`'with its inclosing chamber, of two transversely-disposed bearing-plates in yielding contact with the upper and lower faces of the lower run of said grate and adapted for cutting olf communication between the front and rear portions of said chamber, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

combination with the traveling vgrate and with its inclosing chamber, of a transversely- 'disposed air-'sealvdevice located intermediate to the front and rearends and lin bear-img,-l contact with lthe upper and lower faces of the 4. In'lafurnace of the class specified, the .I

lower run ofthe grate, and lmeans for retaining said sealing-devicein close but yielding contact with saidgrate,'substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

Ina furnace of the class speciied, the combination with the traveling r-grate, its in-` closing chamber, and the air-supply apparatus locatedintermediate to -theupper andflower runs of said grate, of an air-seal con- 6. Ina furnace, the -combination with the .traveling furnacegrate. and its inclosing chamber, offa transverse wall dividing said chamber into two compartments and having va bearing-plate in connection therewith in yielding contact with and closing openings and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination with aY traveling furnace-grate and its inclosing chamber, of a transverse partition or wall located intermediate to the ends of said grate and dividing the said chamber into two compartments; a bearing-plate supported by one edge thereof on said walland having a body-portion adapt- Y through said grate, substantiallyas described ed for bearing against the grate and closing openings through the same, and means for normally holding the bearing-plate in close but yielding contact with the under side of said grate, substantially asdescribed and for the purpose set forth.

EoKLEY B. ooXE.

Witnesses:

HENRY B. COXE, ALBERT B. SHAFFER. 

